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Contested Races

As in the past: we’ll focus on the contested races in town and leave the uncontested races for later.

School Committee

>> All three candidates are great. My picks: Amy Zuccarello and Rachel Watson <<

My take:

The Belmont School Committee is an unpaid six-member board. Members are elected to overlapping, three-year terms with two members elected each year. By state law (chap 71, State Law Chapter 71, the School Committee is the policy setting entity for the public schools.  It hires (and fires) the Superintendent, approves several other key positions, approves the budget, and negotiates with school unions.

There are two School Committee seats up this April, and three candidates for those spots: Rachel Watson, Jung Yueh and Amy Zuccarello.

School Committee is the one, competitive town-wide race this April, with three candidates for two slots. I was keen to make a “pick” here. Having looked closely at the candidates, I honestly believe that any of the three candidates running would be welcome additions to School Committee and that voters can’t “go wrong” here.

That said, I will be voting for Amy Zuccarello and Rachel Watson for School Committee. Who you vote for will likely reflect what you think the biggest challenges/problems facing the Belmont Public Schools are and who seems best suited to address them. Any of these three candidates are worthy of the job.

For example, Amy Zuccarello is a BPS graduate, a parent and an attorney with expertise in financial restructuring. That skill set would be a huge asset to the Committee as it wrestles to square the district’s budget amidst a very tight funding environment. It would also give her credibility in talking budget needs and priorities before historically/constitutionally skeptical audiences like Belmont’s Warrant Committee. I also like Amy’s stated focus on making our schools work so that every student can thrive, as well as her commitment to preserve fine and performing arts – which often are the first to suffer from budget cuts.

Rachel Watson would come to the Committee having serviced Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) co-chair this year and with a deep understanding of the District’s special education curriculum and the challenges facing SPED students. That’s a very useful skill set, as the cost of out of district special education placements are one of the biggest drivers of budget increases in the District. Having a School Committee member with a deep understanding of the complexities of our special education programs and the needs of SPED students in district would be a plus.

Jung Yueh, also, would be a welcome addition to the Committee – he’s a mediator and and actuary: a potent combination for School Committee, which requires both a grasp of numbers and the ability to find common ground with other stakeholders. The sense I get from reviewing Jung’s website and from talking to others in Town, is that compassion and an ability to listen are his super powers, along with an openness to different points of view and a healthy resume of volunteer positions (treasurer for Butler School PTA, the School Committee’s Elementary School Advisory Committee, etc.)

In short: you can’t go wrong here. I’ve indicated who I’m going to vote for. You can pick two of these three candidates based on where your priorities are. The School Committee and community will benefit in the end.

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Town Meeting Precinct 1

Precinct 1 is essentially the residential area bounded by the train tracks, the border with Cambridge, Common Street and (roughly) Washington Street. The decennial census resulted in some reconfiguration of P1’s boundaries, with new folks in the Precinct and others scattered to other precincts. With redistricting behind us, P1 is competitive again this year with 15 candidates for 12 slots.

Before you vote, be sure to check out the candidates’ survey responses for P1.

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 1, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 2

Precinct 2, which covers most of Belmont Hill. With the redistricting brought about by the census, however, P2’s boundaries changed for last year’s Town Election, picking up some new folks from adjacent precincts like 8. This year again, P2 is quite competitive with 16 candidates for 12 spots on Town Meeting. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P2.)

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 2, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 3

Precinct 3 – essentially: the neighborhoods around and about McClean Hospital. This year, there are 16 candidates for the 12, 3-year Town Meeting spots in Precinct 3. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P3.)

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 3, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 4

Precinct 4 encompasses the neighborhood around Waverley Square and Belmont Street on the Watertown line. The race for three year slots is not competitive in this year’s Town election, with 12 candidates for 12 spots. The race for a 1 year spot to fill in the seat of a departing Town Meeting member is competitive, with two candidates for one spot. Alas – we like both those candidates a lot, so Blogging Belmont doesn’t have much in the way of guidance here. As with School Committee: take your pick!

While everyone on the ballot will get elected (barring freak write-in campaigns), check out the candidates’ survey responses for P4 anyway, just to familiarize yourself with the candidates. And remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 4, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 5

Precinct 5, which is the densely packed residential area bounded by Trapelo Road, Beech Street and Common Street. Precinct 5 is the only non-competitive precinct in town this year, with just 11 candidates for 12 slots, which leaves space for a write-in candidate. (We’ve got a great one – see below.)

In the meantime, check out the candidates’ survey responses for P5. Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 5, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers. A note: Precinct 5 did not have 12 candidates file papers, meaning there is an open slot for a write in candidate. We are recommending a write in candidate. By law, you must include the candidate’s address (provided) when writing their name in!

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Town Meeting Precinct 6

Precinct 6 encompasses the neighborhoods around Payson Park, the Chenery Middle School and the reservoir. P6 is competitive again this year with 16 candidates for 12, 3-year spots on Town Meeting and two candidates for one 2-year spot. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P6.)

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 6, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 7

Precinct 7 which comprises the neighborhoods surrounding the Grove Street Playground continued its transformation this year and is the most competitive precinct in town. For longtime residents and local politics junkies, this is quite a thing: P7 spent years as a sleepy precinct in Town Meeting races where there were often too few candidates to fill open Town Meeting slots. No longer! This year we have 20 (!!) candidates for 12 Town Meeting spots – a repeat of last year’s eye popping interest in P7. As was the case last year: that’s a huge win for voters in P7 who have lots of great candidates to choose from. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P7.)

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes!

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 7, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 8

Precinct 8 is another electoral powerhouse in town and, in recent years, has been one of the most competitive precincts for Town Meeting races. That’s true again this year with 16 candidates for 12, 3-year Town Meeting slots. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P8.)

Remember, you don’t have to vote for 12 candidates. You should vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes! In fact, our list of recommended candidates falls short of 12 names.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 8, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first, followed by challengers:

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Uncontested Races

As is often the case, a number of Town-wide races are not contested. Here are the races for which there are not competitive races.

Moderator

Moderator is a critical position. The Moderator not only runs Town Meeting and sets the agenda, s/he also has considerable appointment powers: appointing the entire Warrant Committee as well as a majority of the Bylaw Review Committee, members of the Permanent Building Advisory Committee and any special purpose committees, such as the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee.

This election, as has been the case for more than a decade, there is no competitive race for moderator. Mike Widmer, our current moderator is running for what may be his 15th consecutive one year term. (Long serving moderators are kind of a “thing” in New England.)

You can check out Mike’s response to the BB survey here.

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Select Board

Select Board is the Town’s chief executive. A three person committee that hires the Town Administrator and provides oversight of Belmont’s Town Government. Among other things, the Board works with the Town Administrator and other elected Boards to develop the Town Budget, prepare the Town Meeting Warrant, and perform the many other tasks that are necessary to keep the Town running smoothly. It is the gatekeeper for bringing Proposition 2 1/2 overrides and debt exclusions before voters, giving it huge power to influence the Town’s finances.

This year there is one candidate for one open seat on the Select Board: Elizabeth Dionne. She provided excellent and extensive responses to our (many) survey questions which you can read here. They give you a great sense of where Elizabeth is coming from as a candidate and her likely priorities if/when elected to the Select Board.

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Town Treasurer

>> Write in “Joseph Bernard (71 Waverley Street)”<<

My take:

The Town Treasurer is the chief financial officer of this $160+ million a year non-profit organization known as The Town of Belmont. We’ve long had an elected treasurer in town – a vestige of an earlier era of local government when finances were much more simple and the Treasurer position could be a part time job for some kindly resident.

No longer. Belmont’s finances are complex and the Treasurer position is both demanding and critical to the Town’s continued operations. We have been served very well by our current Treasurer, Floyd Carmen, a seasoned financial professional who took on the Treasurer job after a successful private sector career and served Belmont the early 2000s. But Floyd has decided not to run for re-election.

Coincident with that, the Select Board has voted to put a ballot measure before voters to change to an appointed- from an elected Treasurer and, with the (good) possibility that the elected Treasurer position will be going away, nobody has put in papers to run for the spot, leaving it open.

That creates the possibility for chaos: should Question 2 fail. A write- in candidate with just a handful of votes could become the Town’s Treasurer, regardless of experience. To prevent that from happening, Joseph Bernard, an experienced financial professional in Town has stepped up and expressed a willingness to be a write- in candidate for the Treasurer spot, even while supporting Question 2. I recommend writing in Joseph’s name as Treasurer. Also include his address next to his name, as required by law.

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Trustees of the Public Library

The Board of Trustees of the Public Library is a six member Board. Members are elected to overlapping terms of three years, with two members elected in each year. The Trustees responsibility is the care and management of the public library and any public library branches. They appoint the Town Librarian and other library employees. They are also responsible for managing the Library’s budget and all appropriations made by the Town for the purposes of operating the library.

This year there are two spots open on the Board and two candidates running for them, both incumbents: Kathy Keohane (candidate for re-election) and Gail Mann (candidate for re-election). You can read their responses to the Blogging Belmont candidates’ survey here.

Both Kathy and Gail are excellent and did an amazing job working for years, behind the scenes to pass the debt exclusion for construction of the new Library. With that project moving forward, we are lucky to have Kathy and Gail’s continued presence on the Trustees!

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Board of Health

The Board of Health is a three-person elected body that sets policy and regulations related to public health in Belmont. The Board is the oversight authority for the Belmont Health Department. Needless to say: this is a critical role as the events of the past three years have shown us. With the COVID pandemic a less pressing issue this year, the Board of Health race isn’t contested this year.

Stephen Fiore is the candidate for Board of Health Check out his response to the Blogging Belmont Candidates’ survey.

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Municipal Light Board

April 4th marks the second election for our newly created Municipal Light Board, which Town Meeting voted to approve in 2021. The newly elected, 5-member Municipal Light Board was put in place last year for two, 3 year positions, two, 2 year positions and one 1 year position. This year, the one year position is up again and the candidate who won a contested race last year, Andrew Machado, is running unopposed.

Andrew didn’t fill out a survey this year  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, but this is a link to his survey from last year.

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